DIY Driver swap Guide [ P60 as an example ]

Here is my DinoDirect 5 mode XM-L P60 drop in ...

And today we will be putting in this driver ........ http://www.kaidomain.com/product/details.S020064

Ok first thing to do is remove the + Contact spring , I hold the spring with pliers , and unsolder one side at a time [ It may only come of a little , thats ok , move to the other side and repeat the process until the spring comes off ]

Then using the soldering iron try to push the solder away from the join [ see above picture (3) ] , if done well ? [ pic 4 ]

The driver will come out real easy [ one hopes its not also press fitted ]

Then unsolder the + and - leads from the emitter ...

Now your ready for the new driver ...

Most of the time , the new driver needs to be fitted [ File edges , to lower DIA , clean up joins etc ]

Once the driver fits easy [ can be removed ]

Solder on the wires ... Once this is done ...

Solder the wires to the emitter , I use a 2xAA battery holder [ 3v ] to test the circuit , 3v cos it wont fry the driver ..

If everything tests ok , solder the driver to the pill , and test again ...

If everything is ok , assemble the pill [ reflector etc ] and test again ..

Put it in the light and use a MM to check current , this is supposedly , a , 2280mAh driver , so check to make sure your not pulling much more than that ..

If you see 5 or 6A , you probably have a mild short , 10A and you will most likely fry something [ not that 5A cant fry something ] , but 10A could be real bad for the battery ...

So thats the basics of it , if I missed something , let me know ...

Important Update :

Seems the driver actually behaves a little different [ its dark out so went and played a little ]

What ever mode you stop at : When you go to change mode it starts on Low ...

So if you stop on low , and go to change modes , its starts or goes to low , and then you continue to change modes till you get what you want ...

What ever you stop on [ even low ] when you go to change modes , it goes to low ...

So it looks like it will always start from low [ stock ]

When u say check current with mm can undemo for me, this is excellent ,also how about u said u use a aa holder to test? Can u explain that more?
Being this driver has 6 modes and I only want HMl do I have to do anything to achieve this also?
Again thanks for your time;)

Oh and u say 5 or 6 a is a mild short ,what should it be? And if it is off what do I do to fix it?thanks

Is it awesome now? Any differences?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-PCS-2-x-AA-Battery-Holder-Box-3V-Case-w-Lead-be2aa-/180437791608?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a02ee3378#ht_3391wt_905

2xAA battery holder ... In series so = 3v I have alligator clips on mine ...

MM = Multi meter , put the battery in the light , place the neg probe to the back of the battery and + probe the clean threads to close the circuit , check Amp reading , + by tapping the + probe you can change modes .. [ If it wont change modes or your getting high Amp reading ]

Short = Unscrew reflector - check Amps / If no fix - resolder leads to emitter and keep bare wire to minimum [ may short against base ] / still no fix , unsolder driver from pill and check solder work , check to see if anything might short against the side of the pill ...

The driver :

This driver is nuts , Ive left it stock ...

Starts Low - Med - High [ No PWM to worry about ] no mem in stock form ..

Then goes strobe [fast], strobe [slow] , SOS , and Beacon ..

Here is where it gets trick :

If you change modes slowly , it only goes L-M-H , and bye passes the blinky stuff ..

If you want to get into the blinky stuff >

Then you need to change modes quickly , cycle through L-M-H once > continue to change modes so that you do L-M-H again .... NOW !

The second time around lets you get to the blinky stuff , so the 4th mode is Strobe Fast - 5th mode is Strobe Slow - 6th mode is SOS - 7th mode is Beacon

So you have to cycle through the modes and the 2nd time around you get to access the blinky modes = OK ?

Current draw High / 2.28A - Med / 0.72A - Low / 6mA from the looks of it ... [ Thats insane ] It will run for ever on low ...

Ok I get how to use the mm forgetting but still confused how to use the aa thingt lol
Is it much more brighter than stock?

AA is used to test = To see if its working .. 3v is just enough to cycle through the modes and make sure the pill is working as it should ..

You test to make sure everything is fine , as you go , makes life easier if you can catch mistakes early . Also 3v is much safer as its far less likely to do damage if something is wired or soldered incorrectly , you can oops and laugh about it latter .. [ + wont pull 10A ]

Use a 4.2v 18650 and you may get the magic smoke as your reward ... [ You fried something ]

New driver Brighter ? I dont think so , more efficient , user friendly , better .. + Folks wanted a guide on doing a driver swap , and I wanted to see what this driver does ...

So a few birds taken out with one stone ...

So on the pill would u gator clip the red to the spring and touch what with the black to make it come on,sry for all th .s lol just wanna get it right

Red to + , which is the centre spring ...

Neg is the pill body ...

Before soldering the driver in place .. Just put the red to centre spring , and neg to the outer edge of driver

Important Update :

Seems the driver actually behaves a little different [ its dark out so went and played a little ]

What ever mode you stop at : When you go to change mode it starts on Low ...

So if you stop on low , and go to change modes , its starts or goes to low , and then you continue to change modes till you get what you want ...

What ever you stop on [ even low ] when you go to change modes , it goes to low ...

So it looks like it will always start from low [ stock ]

Thank you for taking the time and trouble to write this article. It's a little advanced for me as yet, but the pictures really help. Better than a lot of text books.

I highly recommend a solder sucker or solder removal wick for when you are removing the original driver. Either of these can be purchased cheaply from DX. Having these tools will really help if you are going to be doing a lot of soldering.

Do you have a link?

Old4570,

Thank you so much for posting this, I haven't done anything like this with flashlights yet but have been thinking about getting into it, this helps greatly and it seems straightforward.

Is there any chance you, or someone else could post or link me to a similar tutorial for swapping an emitter???

Thanks again, I have bookmarked this.

Thanks for the write up.

I feel like I should take something apart at least to look at it..............

The next part I have to figure out is what to buy for a replacement.

Ummm... how about:

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/aluminum-alloy-desoldering-pump-33011

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/goot-wick-soldering-remover-1-5mm-x-1-5m-6252

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/goot-desoldering-wick-remover-2-5mm-x-1-5m-6211

The solder removing wick can be purchased in multiple sizes...

I think you would just figure out what you want out of the light, I.E. modes, current, etc and find a driver to suit your requirements.

Are most all drivers the same size or is that another thing you have to look at when purchasing one?

Bookmarked, thanks!

Flux is also useful both for soldering and desoldering.

You should be able to pick up the solder removal wick at Radio Shack or any local electronics shop